BBQ Hot Peppers

(I have not prepared this yet, but hope to later this summer.)

Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes the following ingredients
1 small peck of peppers cored and sliced into rings (must wear gloves)
1 pint sugar
1 pint vinegar
1 cup Crisco oil
1 32 oz. bottle of ketchup
1 head garlic, minced (or more for taste)
2 T organo

Bring brine to a rolling boil and add peppers. Pack into hot jars. Do NOT process.

Yield 8 pints per batch. 

1 bushel of peppers for 5 batches of brine/ 1 bushel = 32 quarts

1/2 bushel (5 cups sugar, 5 cups vinegar, 2-1/2 cups oil, 80 oz. ketchup, 2-1/2 heads garlic, 5 T oregano)

From: Gregorio Torchia, (Author Frank Hibbs 10-28-2008)

Homemade Dulce de Leche

RECIPE FOR THE BEST DULCE DE LECHE:

Get a regular sized can of sweetened condensed milk (no low fat, low calorie options please).Do not open or puncture the can in any way.

Put in a pot of water with at least 2 inches of water to cover.

Boil for 2 hours.

Keep an eye on it to make sure the water level stays high. The label will fall off, don't worry. Remove and let cool. It's now done — open it right away or keep it in the pantry, it needn't be refrigerated until it's opened.

Source:
http://spectacularlydelicious.com/2010/04/13/evitas-dulce-de-leche

Awesome Cheese Crackers from Wendy

• 1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (I've used fresh or dried. And have used a mix of both cheeses. Either is good)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 stick butter - room temp
• 1 cup flour
  

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the cheese, salt, black pepper & cayenne pepper (I use a food processor). Add the butter; then add the flour a little at a time. Combine only until the mixture holds together. Roll dough into balls and place on the parchment lined baking sheet, tapping the dough down gently with fingertips. Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes.

The recipe I have says to make the dough balls 'a tablespoon size' but I usually make them smaller. If you make them smaller, cut the baking time to about 12-13 minutes.

Applesauce

Source
This is by far the best applesauce I have every tasted! I used a mixture of apples provided by my food co-op. The apples were from The Apple Castle.

Instead of using sugar, I used 100% Agave Nectar. Truth be told, it really did not need any additional sweetening. I left the sauce kinda chunky because that is how Tom likes it best!

Ingredients:

4 cups water
24 (or so) apples
Juice of ½ lemon
6 whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
½ cup sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Put about 2 inches of water in the bottom of a saucepan (4 cups or so). Put the pan on the stovetop and turn the burner on low.
2. Peel the apples, cut them into pieces, and add them to the water. Make sure to cut out any bad spots!
3. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the mix to stop the apples from turning brown.
4. Add the cloves and cinnamon.
5. Cook on medium to low heat until the apples turn to mush--maybe a half hour to an hour.
6. Taste. If it's too tart, add sugar.
7. Pick out the cloves and cinnamon, and serve!

If you want to freeze it, put the applesauce in a container and stick it in the freezer. It tastes just as great when you thaw it.

Roasted Tomato Soup

This is my recipe!

Roasted Tomato Soup (enough for two ... serve with a hearty garlic toast. Also, you could sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese on the soup before serving)

6 large tomatoes
1/2 onion roughly chopped
2 T. Olive Oil
1 clove garlic
Some Dill, Basil, and flat leaf Parsley
Salt
Pepper
1 T butter

Saute onion in the olive oil until soft


To roast tomatoes:
Broil the tomatoes in a jelly roll pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from the heat, turning them every 5 minutes, for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the skins are blistered and charred.

Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl and let them steam, covered, until they are cool enough to handle. Peel and core them then put them in a strainer (I did one at a time) over a bowl and use a spoon to mash them up to separate the sees and some of the pulp.

Add the tomatoes' pulp and juice to the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add herbs and simmer for about 10 minutes. Check seasoning again.

Use a blender (or an immersion blender) to puree the soup. Add 1 T butter to soup (not each bowl), stir and serve.

NOTE: You could also roast a bell pepper and add it too.

Diane's Six-Spice Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dianes-Six-Spice-Oatmeal-Raisin-Cookies-100764

Gourmet | September 1997

by Diane Elizabeth Brown, Pacific Palisades, CA
Yield: Makes about 60 cookies

ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
a pinch ground cloves
a pinch cayenne
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup raisins
preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Into a bowl sift together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy and beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and slowly beat until just combined well. Stir in rolled oats and raisins (dough will be stiff).

Working in batches, drop dough by level tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet 1 minute and transfer to racks to cool completely.

Townline BBQ Sauce

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/townline-bbq-sauce-recipe/index.html

2009, Joseph Realmuto, All Rights Reserved

Serves:
4 quarts

Ingredients

* 1/4 pound butter
* 3/4 cup minced onion
* 1/2 cup minced garlic
* 2 lemons, zested
* 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 4 1/4 cups ketchup
* 1 cup tomato juice
* 3/4 cup light brown sugar
* 6 tablespoons molasses
* 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 cup chili powder
* 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chipotle puree
* Pinch kosher salt

Directions

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, ketchup, tomato juice, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, vinegar, chipotle puree, salt and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.